From tigers to axolotls: Why people keep exotic pets in Russia

Abstract

Abstract The exotic pet trade, both legal and illegal, ‬plays a crucial role in wildlife overharvesting and biodiversity loss world‐wide, but drivers of demand for exotic pets are still poorly understood and under‐studied. Some geographical areas, including the post‐Soviet states, have little or no relevant research. We conducted open‐ended in‐depth interviews with 27 exotic pet owners in Russia. The research involved participants who collectively owned over 90 pet animals, including endangered and critically endangered species. The interviewees were classified into four main categories according to their motivations and reasons for keeping exotic pets. ‘Life‐Savers’ were motivated by pity; ‘Accidental Owners’ acquired animals by chance; ‘New Experience Seekers’ were looking for something different and unusual; and ‘Collectors’ acquired animals based on their specific characteristics. Species and provenance preferences, level of husbandry knowledge, understanding of the legislation and rights varied among exotic pet owners often reflecting their different motivations. Despite their differences, together they formed a distinctive sub‐community of pet owners. Our findings provide essential information for various stakeholders, including policymakers and law enforcement agencies, aiming to address exotic pet trade in Russia and its negative impact on biodiversity both in Russia and overseas. Understanding the motivations for exotic pet ownership will facilitate a more evidence‐based policy to emerge to regulate pet ownership. This paper can also serve as a basis for further investigation into the exotic pet trade of Russia and our typology of motivations could be a basis for future studies in other geographical areas. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Keywords

• exotic pet trade
• motivations
• pet ownership
• Russia
• wildlife trade